By Matthew Owens

Translation by Ginetta Owens-Solari

FIDE Master Joao Avalos took some time out from his busy practice schedule to give Chileno his thoughts on some key questions on chess and what direction the game in Chile should take in the future. Joao is currently ranked 56 in Chile.

Name:

Avalos Parra, Joao

Federation:

Chile

FIDE title:

FIDE Master

Highest rating:

2323

Born:

1981

Sex:

Male

Chileno - When did you start to play chess and how much time do you devote to practice and development?

Joao - I think that in a certain way, computers might destroy the imagination and creativeness of the game; however I still believe that the invention and imagination of the human being is much bigger than the cold and basic calculations of a computer. For that reason I think that cheating in chess has little influence in the real game.Therefore, I doubt that cheating will win over human creativeness.

Chileno – How vital is it to have a very powerful memory in chess - How many moves ahead can you calculate on the chess board?

Joao - Memory is a vital part to be able to develop a good chess game, it is something that marks the difference between a strong or a weak player, I think I can calculate around 6 to 10 moves ahead, although I would love to be able to do better in the future.

Chileno – Would you say that chess is about combat perhaps fuelled by testosterone, or is it a strategic exercise?

Joao - I think that chess may cause mental anomalies like any other physical sport can cause physical damage like injuries etc. to associate a chess player with a potential mental illness is another thing that I think it is going too far … A chess player makes a mistake by using his mind too much and if that can be called insanity, then I welcome it! A lot of people can take advantage of this game if that is the case then. If Fischer was considered to be ill for using his brain to play chess more than any other person in the world or any sphere of human thought, then CALL ME CRAZY and I would thank you for this.

Chileno - What is the chess scene like in Chile today? How does it compare to other countries and do you think it has changed over time?

Joao - I think that Chile is at a very basic level in the development of chess, we need a lot of changes and better opportunities to achieve a medium world level. If we compare ourselves to other countries in the Americas and the rest of the world I think we are light years behind but I hope this situation will improve soon.

Chileno - As with the rest of the world, there are many more men than women playing at top levels in Chile. Why do you think this is?

Joao - Without being called a chauvinist, I think chess is 80% patience and for that reason women are not interested, what woman will be able to stay still for 5 hours without being able to move and talk, just thinking… only a few.

Chileno – What do you think the future holds for chess in Chile? What are the three most important developments that need to happen to make improvements?

Joao - I think that chess in Chile won’t get better until there is a clear and dedicated policy towards this sport; we all know that chess is not very commercial and wide reaching. A private company won’t invest in a sport that will bring hardly any publicity if any at all, I think that the major things to improve this situation are COMMUNICATION to the people about the benefits of this sport, SUPPORT from private companies and LOYALTY in this activity. With these 3 points taken into consideration seriously Chilean chess can improve dramatically.

Chileno – Thank you Joao for taking the time out for Chileno and we wish you good luck in your future endeavours.